The Clue of the Linoleum Lederhosen    by M. T. Anderson Order:  USA  Can Harcourt, 2006 (2006) Hardcover     Reviewed by Ricki Marking-Camuto School's out for summer and it is time for a little light reading. What better place to turn than M. T. Anderson's newest Thrilling Tale, The Clue of the Linoleum Lederhosen? It's summer vacation. Katie, Lily, and Jasper are off to the Moose Tongue Lodge and Resort for a break from crime solving and a free meal. Unfortunately, crime never takes a vacation and weird things manage to find the trio no matter where they go. No sooner do they land Jasper's Sky Suite on the resort than they discover that Jasper's free meal coupon is fake, along with the coupons sent to many other lesser-read children's book heroes. Before they have time to find who sent the fake coupons, a man rushes in claiming that the Hooper Quints have been kidnapped. During the search for the missing crime-solving siblings, stuffed animal heads begin to disappear from the lodge's wall ... and a priceless diamond necklace is stolen. Katie is determined not to get involved, until it appears that one of her friends might be in trouble. While there are not as many jokes and outrageous author asides as in the first in the series, Whales on Stilts!, Anderson's humor still shines through, especially in the characters staying at the Moose Tongue Lodge and Resort. While all the guests are incredibly out-there, making for a really enjoyable read, the best are those poking fun at real children's book characters. One slight problem with this, though, is that a good portion of the book's target audience might not get all the references and thus lose some of the humor. While most readers will probably catch on that the Manley Boys are a bad version of The Hardy Boys, I know the connection between the Cutsey Dell Twins and the Sweet Valley Twins will go right over most ten-year-olds' heads. Still, while readers might not get all the references, they will still enjoy Katie, Lily, and Jasper's latest hilarious adventure. The Clue of the Linoleum Lederhosen is the perfect book for relaxing summer fun. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Kids books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews